Vehicle navigation systems are being widely used in modern automobiles. In a conventional navigation system, the user asks for directions to a particular destination by voice (speech) or by manually typing in a destination address through input keys or touch sensitive screens. The navigation systems typically have Global Positioning System (GPS) capabilities to determine the current location of the automobile. The navigation system responds to the user's request for directions to a destination by displaying the directions to the location to the user, along with voice instructions or visual instructions corresponding to the directions to the destination.
Users of the navigation systems interact with the navigation systems by a variety of input methods, including speech input to speech recognition systems, manual input using keys or touch sensitive screens, and the like. The speech input method is popular in navigation systems, especially because the speech input method minimizes interference with the user's driving of the vehicle.
When a user interacts with the navigation system using speech input, the user typically asks for directions to a destination by stating the address of the destination. For example, the user may ask for directions to 4009 Miranda Avenue, Palo Alto, Calif., by stating “Take me to 4009 Miranda Avenue in Palo Alto, Calif.” to the navigation system. The speech recognition system of the navigation system recognizes the request using conventional speech recognition methods and shows to the user the directions to the destination.
If the user requests the directions to a previously requested destination twice or more, that destination is likely to be a frequently requested destination. However, in conventional navigation systems, the user still has to state the complete address of such destination to obtain directions to the frequently requested destination. Some conventional navigation systems store the history of destinations requested by a user and allow the user to view the list to find a previously requested destination. However, this is cumbersome for the user of the navigation system and interferes with the user's driving of the automobile.
Therefore, there is a need for a method and system for conveniently inputting destinations by speech in a navigation system. There is also a need for a method and system for minimizing the interference with the user's driving of the automobile, when the driver requests directions to a destination using a navigation system. There is also a need for a method and system for stating phrases or sentences to a speech recognition system in a convenient and shorter way.